علم الأثار الإيطالي الليبي

البعثة الأثارية التحت المائية والساحلية بقورينا

الأستاذ سيباستيانو توسا - مشرف علي البحر – اقليم صقلية

Since many year we are proceeding with a careful underwater archaeological survey offshore the coast of eastern Cyrenaica between Ras Hamama and Ras Etteen. Among many archaeological sites so far discovered we succeeded in reaching the goal of identifying the Venetian wreck near Ras al-Hilal. The wreck was identified as the war ship named Tigre that sunk the 7th of April 1705 after a difficult sailing from Nauplia. We found the original documents that tell us the history of that tragic sailing. The crew was seized by the Caramalli and the French and brought to Derna. In Derna tha Venetian commander succeeded in escaping taking the command of the French ship.

We have done the complete survey of the area obtaining a map of the main items so far discovered. We recognized 31 big iron guns and several other small objects that were all surveyed in order to have a clear idea of its disposal on the bottom of the sea. The survey was done with the help of AutoCad software and will be soon elaborated in order to obtain a complete and finished map of the entire area interested by the wreck.

Beside the activity of mapping and photographing the area and single items we made a detailed survey in order to analyse the different parts and furniture of the sunken ship. By the way we discovered a lot of very interesting object very useful in order to identify the nationality, provenance and cultural affinities of the wreck. Beside the objects so far found in the previous campaigns (part of two bells, bullets, fragment of rifles and others), we discovered two spoons, a sort of tea jug, fragments of glass vases, a copper cup used for strengthening one of the stem and a weight for scale.

On the other hand we started the survey work in the two sea sites that were chosen jointly by our mission and the Department of Antiquities of Libya. They are Phykous and El Ougla in the area of Hamama, north of Beidha.

In Phikous we completed the entire survey of the archaeological site and the total topography by scanner laser. We succeeded in dating the main phase of occupation to the IV cent.a.D. We just started the survey of the sunken architectural remains both in Phykous and in El Ougla. In Phikous we identified the traces of a long sunken dock at a depth of about m three.In El Ougla we identified some round well plastered by cocciopesto basins used to produce garum.

Nearby El Ougla we carried out a systematic programme of underwater survey that produced the identification of a late roman wreck not far from the coast.

Not far from Phikous we identified one area (Braknota), already known in bibliography, devoted to olive oil production in roman period. The buildings are so close to the sea that parts were destroyed by sea waves. We identified the area where olives were pressed, the area where oil was resting and a wide rectangular area deeply dug into the rock where huge terracotta pithoi were placed to contain oil.

Very interesting traces of underwater roman harbor structures either rbuilt and cut into the rock were identified and documented in the area of Anyeh.

Nowadays we are investigating the area of Ras Etteen on the western edge of Gulf of Bomba. We identified an ancient roman town that is partly underwater. Clear traces of tsunami indicate that the site was destroyed during a strong earthquake that provoked also the lowering of part of the buildings.

The sunken part of the town is at about 1,5 – 2,00 m below sea level. Many walls and squared rooms were identified and mapped. We identified a wide rectangular building with many small well plastered squared tanks. Some of them were excavated and showed a filling made by sand with a huge quantity of murex shell either entire and in fragments. The building was an industrial compound in which purple was produced.

During the last research seasons we went on surveying wide portions of the coastal belt between Ras Hamama and Ras Etteen. The survey produced the discovery or re-discovery of many sites belonging to different ages. Beside many roman sites so far known through the past surveys we identified some lower Paleolithic, Middle Paleolithic, Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic surface sites. A wide collection of lithic industry and impressed pottery was collected.

The team is directed by Sebastiano Tusa

The mission was sustained by Ministero Affari Esteri with the help of: